1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to queuing move instructions to organize the move instructions in a preferred order for a storage library system.
2. Description of Related Art
Robotic storage library technology has been a staple in digital mass storage for back-up and server applications for many years. From the time of inception, the technology has evolved in increased complexity and capacity to meet the growing data storage needs fueled by a booming computer industry and the age of the internet. Increased speed at which data can be stored and retrieved for a host computer, or client, has inspired libraries with multiple robotic transport units that move tape cartridges from library shelves to multiple drives.
Libraries with multiple robotic transport units and multiple drives generally transport and load tape cartridges in one of a plurality of drives via move instructions and load instructions, respectively, from a host computer. Generally, a host computer issues a “read element status” request to the library in order to determine the identity of all of the robotic transport units and drives within a library. Once the host computer has obtained knowledge of the library's configuration, the host computer is free to issue move instructions and load instructions wherein the move instructions instruct a designated robot transport unit to move a designated tape cartridge to a designated drive and the load instructions instruct the designated tape cartridge to be loaded in the designated drive. The host computer communicates with both the designated robot and designated drive to determine if the move instruction has been carried out and if the designated tape cartridge has been at least inserted and is “becoming ready” in the designated drive. The message “becoming ready” is a communication that the designated drive is no longer empty but contains the designated tape cartridge that is in the process of having its tape medium threaded in the designated drive. The host computer does not necessarily require the tape cartridge to be “fully ready” for storage operations before issuing another move instruction to either the designated robotic transfer unit or another robotic transfer unit within the library. The current methods of carrying out move and load instructions provide improved library efficiency and speed, however, certain unavoidable inefficiencies remain such as waiting for the designated drive to become ready, or operating with serial move and load instructions, just to name some examples.
In an effort to improve move instructions within a library, both methods and apparatuses are disclosed herein. It is to innovations related to this subject matter that the claimed invention is generally directed.